John Profumo

John Profumo (30 January 1915-9 March 2006) was the British Secretary of State for War from 27 July 1960 to 5 June 1963, succeeding Christopher Soames and preceding Joseph Godber. His career ended after his sexual affair with the 19-year-old model Christine Keeler, who was also the lover of an alleged Soviet spy, was publicized, leading to the Profumo affair.

Biography
John Dennis Profumo was born in London, England in 1915, the son of a lawyer of Italian origin. He served in the Northamptonshire Yeomanry of the British Army in North Africa, Western Europe, and Italy during World War II, and he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire and awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his service. In a 1940 by-election, Profumo - still serving in the army - was elected to Parliament as the Conservative MP for Kettering in Northamptonshire. He was defeated at the 1945 election, and he was elected as MP for Stratford-upon-Avon in 1950.

Profumo, a war hero, was highly regarded within the Conservative Party, leading to his rise in the party ranks. In 1960, he joined Prime Minister Harold Macmillan's government as Secretary of State for War, and he was sworn of the Privy Council. In July 1961, he met the model Christine Keeler at a party and began an affair with her. However, she also had a relationship with the senior naval attache at the Soviet embassy, and the matter took on a national security dimension. In March 1963, he denied that his relationship with Keeler was improper, but the newspapers continued to publish stories about Keeler, and Profumo was forced to admit that he lied to the House of Commons on 5 June 1963. He was forced to resign from all of his offices, and the scandal rocked the Conservative government, which went on to lose the 1964 election. He died from a stroke in 2006.